On the eve of the third and final ODI against Australia, India head coach Rahul Dravid made a big statement during interaction with the media. The Indian head coach affirmed that the management has narrowed down '17-18' players that are likely to be part of India's squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup.
"We are clear about the team we want to play (at the World Cup), and hopefully, we can give the guys we have zeroed in on as many opportunities as we can, at home and away," Dravid said in the press conference.
"Some players are still recovering from injuries and will come back depending on the time frame of recovery. But within that pool, we want to have different combinations because it (ODI World Cup) is a big tournament, we are in nine cities and nine different conditions during the league stage. So, whether we want four pacers or three spinners .. within the squad, we would like to look at different conditions and test different combinations so that we aren’t surprised by anything at the World Cup,” the Indian head coach added.
The 50-over World Cup is scheduled to be held in India during the month of October-November later in the year. Playing at home, the Men in Blue will be under tremendous pressure to lift the World Cup trophy and end their decade-long ICC trophy drought. India last won the ODI World Cup in 2011 under MS Dhoni's leadership. Overall, India have won two ODI World Cup titles, the first one coming under Kapil Dev's captaincy in 1983.
If one has to go by the ongoing ODI series between India and Australia, then it is clear that the Men in Blue are still a work in progress. India's batting line-up has looked extremely fragile against a quality Aussie attack and in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam, Rohit Sharma's men were bundled out for just 117 runs. There is still a few months to go for the quadrennial mega event and Team India would look to iron out its flaws.
ALSO READ:
'I wasn't counting my chickens before they hatched..': Blunt Dravid plays down WTC final hype
